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Rick Defieux

Rick Defieux, the Chair of SJF IC and co-founder of SJF, has been a venture capitalist for 19 years. Rick is currently a Venture Partner at Battelle Ventures, a $220 MM fund investing in early-stage technology companies typically within the fields of energy & environment, health & life science and security. As a General Partner of Allegra Partners IV and Edison Venture Funds I, II and III, Defieux led investments in more than 25 environmental, energy and communications companies; he received a Cleantech Pioneer Award in 2003 from the Cleantech Group for his early work in cleantech investing. He currently serves on the board of Silicon Power. Defieux has an MBA from Columbia University and a BA and MA from Boston University. He is a steadfast husband and father and an occasional hiker, skier, tennis player and builder.

David Griest

David Griest is a Managing Director in SJF Ventures’ Durham, NC office. He joined SJF in 2004. David serves on the board of SJF portfolio companies eRecyclingCorps (reprocessing wireless devices), Rustic Crust (all-natural and organic pizza products) and Telkore (wireless infrastructure services). David previously served on the board of Salvage Direct (online salvage vehicle auction) until its successful exit in 2010.

David was previously with Croft & Bender, an investment bank in Atlanta that provides venture capital, M&A and other financial advisory services for middle market and emerging growth companies in the Southeast. He also helped manage C&B Capital, a series of private equity funds that selectively invest in privately-held, small- and mid-sized, high-potential growth companies. C&B Capital’s investments include venture capital for emerging growth companies, growth capital for more established companies and leveraged acquisitions and recapitalizations for growth-oriented companies with strong cash flows.

David has an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BBA in Finance from the University of Georgia. David enjoys mountaineering and hiking to each of the 50 states’ high points.

Griest’s email is dgriest@sjfventures.com and his office number is 919-530-1177 x409.

Arrun Kapoor

Arrun Kapoor is Principal with SJF Ventures’ New York City office. He leads the NYC CleanLinks program and is an Advisory Board Member of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission Green Business Accelerator. He is on the Board of FieldView Solutions and a Board Observer to ServiceChannel and Truist. Kapoor was most recently with Bain & Company in London and Delhi where he launched the firm’s internal green practice initiatives. He worked with Bain’s Private Equity Practice and gained experience in a range of cleantech-related industries. Prior to Bain, he was a founding member and Manager with a successful consulting start-up in New York and London. He holds a Master’s in International Political Economics from the London School of Economics and completed a BA from New York University with an economics and business focus.

Kapoor’s email address is akapoor@sjfventures.com and his office number is 212-209-3063.

Alan Kelley

Alan Kelley is the Managing Director for SJF Ventures’ California office. Prior to joining SJF, he was at Milestone Venture Partners. Kelley served as an investment portfolio manager for SunTrust Banks from 1995 to 2004 and spent most of the time with the company’s institutional money management subsidiary, Trusco Capital Management. He conceived, developed and managed Trusco’s first Internet and technology mutual fund, which ranked in the top quintile of the Lipper Science and Technology Funds Universe.

Prior to working in investment management, Kelley was a Program Director for Hands On Atlanta, where he helped to create an innovative program to fund inner-city developments. He was also a Project Manager for The Landmarks Group in Berlin, Germany, where he joined a small team to develop a $50 million real estate project.

Kelley received a B.A. in Public Policy from Duke University in 1991. He earned his M.B.A. from the Goizueta Business School’s Evening Program at Emory University in 1999. Kelley serves on the boards of SJF portfolio companies ServiceChannel and Ryla. He is a board observer for MedPage and advisor to MediaMath.

Kelley’s email is akelley@sjfventures.com and his office number is 415-659-8277.

David Kirkpatrick

David Kirkpatrick is Managing Director and co-founder of SJF Ventures, a cleantech and positive impact venture capital fund with offices in Durham, NC, New York City, and San Francisco.

SJF focuses on high growth, positive impact ventures and was founded in 1999. David helped lead SJF’s capitalization of two funds totaling $45 million. SJF Ventures I and II have invested in 31 portfolio companies with more than $500 million in sales, 128 facilities, and 4,500 employees. David also co-founded SJF Advisory Services, a non-profit corporation, which has assisted 1,800 positive impact enterprises across the US.

Previous to SJF, he founded and managed two other successful enterprises – KirkWorks, a cleantech investment research firm, and SunShares, a solar energy and recycling company. David was named the national 2005 CDVC Practitioner of the Year by the Community Development Venture Capital Alliance and Recycler of the Year in 1996, the National Recycling Coalition’s award for leadership in the recycling industry.

David earned a BA in Physics and History from Duke University in 1982 and an MBA from UNC Business School in 1991. He serves on the Boards of groSolar, B.B. Hobbs, EdMap, the NC Sustainable Energy Association, the CDFI Coalition, the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, and the Advisory Committee of the NYC Accelerator for a Clean and Renewable Economy. He is an avid gardener, bicyclist and Dad.

Kirkpatrick’s email is dkirk@sjfventures.com, and his phone number is 919-530-1177 x407.

Cody Nystrom

Cody Nystrom is a Senior Associate at SJF Ventures.  She joined SJF in their Durham, North Carolina office in 2007.  Cody serves as board observer for SJF portfolio company, CleanScapes, a Seattle-based recycling, organics and waste services provider.   Cody helped found and leads the RTP CleanLinks network, a clean energy business networking group with over 300 members.  Additionally, Cody serves on selection, judging and advisory committees for Investors Circle, SVCIC (Sustainable Venture Capital Investment Competition) and the T-100 mentoring group at University of Virginia.  In addition to her interest and involvement in clean energy, she has a strong passion for nutrition and sustainable food systems.  

Cody was previously with Ewing Bemiss & Co., a middle-market investment bank based in Richmond, Virginia where she focused on renewable energy M&A transactions with a specific emphasis on landfill gas-to-energy companies.   Cody holds a BS (summa cum laude) in Systems and Information Engineering from the University of Virginia with a minor in Business.

Nystrom’s email address is cnystrom@sjfventures.com and her office number is 919-530-1177.

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor is SJF’s Finance Manager and is based in the Durham, NC office. She is a Certified Public Accountant and has more than 25 years experience in both for-profit and non-profit accounting and administration. Most recently she was the Firm Administrator for Thomas, Knight, Trent, King and Company in Durham, NC. In addition to working in finance and accounting, Elizabeth has several years of experience in the non-profit sector including positions with the American Dance Festival, Arts Advocates of North Carolina, the City of Durham, and as a private consultant. Currently she is an active member of the North Carolina Arts in Action and a leader/cook for the Sierra Club Service Committee. Elizabeth lives in Chapel Hill and has two grown daughters.

Elizabeth’s email address is etaylor@sjfventures.com and her office number is 919-530-1177 x406.